Faster pace fits Georgia Tech well so far
ATLANTA -- The sample size is still very small, but Georgia Tech's new look on offense appears to be taking hold.
The Yellow Jackets have made a concerted effort to play at a much faster pace, run whenever they can and score more points. They've already topped 100 points in two games, something that last occurred in 2006-07.
"Don't get used to it," head coach Brian Gregory said after Thursday's 107-77 win over Green Bay. "We want to push the ball, so there are more possessions. I think you're going to see more in the high 70s or 80s as things calm down a bit. I'd take 107 every night, especially if we hold the other team to 77."
Georgia Tech (3-0) wraps up its four-game homestand at 2 p.m. on Sunday against East Tennessee State (2-1).
The faster pace is not an illusion. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 75 possessions per game, 12 more than they were a year ago. Even if just half of those extra shots go in the basket, that's a dozen more points per game than they scored last season.
The 97 points the team averages is even more impressive when compared to the 63.6 points that Georgia Tech has averaged in the first four seasons under Gregory.
"Right now, we're focused on, 'Are we getting quality shots? Is the offense creating quality shots? Are players making the next pass to go from good to better, in terms of shot selection?' " Gregory said. "We are a very good offensive rebounding team and even when you miss quality looks, what you've done is you've broken down the defense and you're going to offensively rebound the ball better.
"(Thursday) we had 15 offensive rebounds with as well as we shot the ball. That was because our offense created good looks. And if you break down the defense, they're going to have a hard time keeping our guys off the glass."
East Tennessee State is 2-1 under first-year head coach Steve Forbes, who took over when Murry Bartow was fired after going 16-14 in his 12th season. The Buccaneers opened the season with wins over Averett and Green Bay (which Georgia Tech defeated by 30 on Thursday) and lost to Villanova on Friday 86-51.
ETSU likes to play at a fast pace and scored more than 100 in its first two games. The Bucs are led by junior guard A.J. Merriweather, who averages 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Ge'Lawn Guyn, a 6-2 graduate senior, played three years at Cincinnati and averaged 19 points as a junior.
He left the program after an injury forced him to miss his senior year. He is averaging 18 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Albany native T.J. Cromer, a junior transfer from Columbia State (Tennessee) Community College, is averaging 16 points and is an outstanding 3-point shooter. Senior Deuce Bello, who has played at Baylor and Missouri, averages 9.3.
This will be Georgia Tech's final home game before it travels to Brooklyn to play in the NIT Season Tipoff at the Barclays Center. The Yellow Jackets will play Arkansas on Thanksgiving and either Stanford or Villanova the next day.
This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Faster pace fits Georgia Tech well so far ."